


Not what she deserves

by kitbug



Series: Rough Sailing [2]
Category: Dragon Age II
Genre: Crying, F/F, Feelings, Hurt/Comfort, dadwc prompt fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 11:11:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19317007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitbug/pseuds/kitbug
Summary: Isabela comforts Hawke after the events of All That Remains.





	Not what she deserves

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from [bearlytolerable](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearlytolerable/pseuds/bearlytolerable) for DA Drunk Writing Circle: “I can't be alone with all that's on my mind...”

The few weak platitudes Isabela can offer drift away, leaving her with nothing but an awkward silence.  Hawke deserves better. She also deserves not having her mother taken from her, especially so suddenly and horribly.  Neither of those is reality though, and both leave Isabela desperately wanting more than a few stiff drinks at the Hanged Man.

Hawke sits next to her on the bed, staring at the floor with the same glass-eyed look she bore to Bethany’s funeral service.  Isabela can’t decide if it’s a blessing or a curse that there’s no more family that can be taken from Hawke.

The silence gets to be too much for her to bear, and she pushes herself up from the bed.  “I… It’s late. You should probably get some rest Ha—”

A hand grabs her arm.  Desperation and something else flash wild in Hawke’s ice blue eyes and stop her in her tracks.  “Please don’t go.” Her voice is hoarse and thick.

“Hawke, I don’t—”  The words die on her lips at that look.  She doesn’t know what to say. Doesn’t know what to do.  Can’t do anything to change what happened. Nothing is going to bring Leandra back.

“I can’t…”  Hawke struggles to find her words.  “After all that’s happened… I can’t be alone with this.  With everything on my mind.” She finishes with a scant whisper, head bowed.  “Please don’t leave me here alone tonight.”

Fat hot tears fall across Isabela’s wrist and melt what little resolve she has.  “Of course not,” she says quietly.

She climbs onto the bed and pulls Hawke along with her until her back’s against the pillows.  Hawke collapses on top of her and the dam finally breaks. She clings to Isabela, shuddering with the broken, heavy sobs of a lost child.

Isabela can’t do anything but weather the storm and see her through to the other side.  She rubs circles into Hawke’s back, smoothes her back her wild hair, murmurs soothing nothings into her ear.  Under such ministrations, the flood eventually slows to a trickle, the sobs fade to hiccups, and then her breaths slow into sleep.    


Unable to bring herself to disturb Hawke, Isabela carefully pulls a blanket from the edge of the bed up over them both.  She’s glad that Hawke is finally resting, but isn’t sure she’ll be able to do the same. Her gnarled feelings regarding her own mother are tangled with the nightmarish tragedy that befell Hawke’s.

And that same niggling thought that Hawke deserves better.

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblargh is here](http://kittlesandbugs.tumblr.com) if you want to swing by and say hi!


End file.
